Workshop: Teaching computer security literacy to the masses: A practical approach

We are losing the battle in cyber security. We heavily rely on technology as the main defense, instead of recognizing that the easiest attack vectors are the people who operate the computers. The general public does not understand the decisions they make each and every day have security implications for themselves, their projects and their companies. Since people are a primary target, education is one of the “secret weapons” in the cyber security battlefield. Further, if everyday users are the targets, then all audiences, not just technical staff, need training and education in cyber security basics. We argue that computer security literacy is not only the next step in computer security defense; it may be one of the most important steps we can take. Through this workshop we want to encourage the profession to reach out to the populous and help make them security literate. The goal of the workshop is to provide an alternative approach to teaching Computer Security Literacy. This approach, developed at Iowa State University, demonstrates how Computer Security Literacy courses for non-technical students benefit them in their daily lives, now as students and in the future as working professionals.